CarBrandLogos archive · Jaguar · 2018

JaguarI-Pace

Beat Audi, Mercedes and Porsche to the electric SUV market by a clear year.

Photo: Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in Jaguar history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Jaguar I-Pace, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

Jaguar had no electric car and no obvious means of building one, so it did the practical thing: designed the I-Pace around a bespoke skateboard platform, put the battery between the axles and a motor on each, and contracted Magna Steyr in Graz to build it. The result reached customers in 2018, ahead of the Audi e-tron, the Mercedes EQC and the Porsche Taycan — not a position Jaguar had occupied in a very long time.

Jaguar I-Pace IMG 0491 · Alexander Migl · CC BY-SA 4.0

Design and engineering

Ian Callum's packaging took full advantage of what electric drive allows: a very short bonnet, a cab pushed forward, a flat floor, and a wheelbase longer than the car's compact footprint suggests. It was quick, rode well, and steered like something engineered by people who cared about steering.

Jaguar I-Pace intérieur · Y.Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

It was named World Car of the Year for 2019, taking the design and green categories at the same time, and it supported a one-make racing series alongside Formula E. What it did not do was sell in the volumes Jaguar needed. Charging speeds fell behind newer rivals, the software drew persistent complaints, and battery supply constrained production. It was discontinued in 2024 as Jaguar wound down its entire range ahead of relaunching as an electric-only brand.

2018 Jaguar I-Pace EV400 AWD Rear · Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance